In order to minimize labor and costs, it has been common to provide prefabricated panels which are utilized in the construction of walls and ceilings as well as roofs. In one type of prefabricated panels, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,882,653 and 4,295,312, prefabricated trusses are provided between spaced sheets and insulating material is interposed between the sheets. However, where the sheets have grooves for receiving the trusses, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,312, the major portion of the sheets between the grooves extend toward the other sheet thereby reducing the amount of insulating material that can be placed between the sheets.
Accordingly, among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a prefabricated panel which is strong, low in cost and easy to construct and, in addition, maximizes the amount of insulating material that can be used.
In accordance with the invention, the prefabricated building panel comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending transversely spaced trusses, each truss comprising opposed channel members and undulating truss member joined to and extending between the channel members and an outer sheet and an inner sheet fastened to said channel members. The inner sheet comprises a plurality of transversely spaced grooves defined by narrow ribs extending transversely and formed by spaced portions of the inner sheet bent inwardly, said grooves having a width substantially equal to the width of the channel members of the truss and receiving one of the channel members. The base of each groove lies in the plane of the sheet such that the space between adjacent channels is maximized for receiving insulating material.